Match-box and cigar-cutter.



No. 687,73l. Patented Dec. 3, I90l. J. A. CUNNINGHAM. MATCH 80X ANDCIGAR CUTTER.

(Application filed Jan. 22, 1901.

2 Sheets8heet I.

(No Model.)

Patented-"De a. 3, l90l.

2 Shams-Sheet No. 687,73I/

- J. A. CUNNINGHAM.

MATCH BOX AND CIGAR CUTTER.

(A iplication filed Jan. 22, 1901.)

(No Model.)

-Wii 9a SS2 5 THE mums VETERQ cc PHOTOVIJT UNITE FFTCEQ MATCH-BOX ANDCIGAR-CUTTER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 687,731, dated December3, 1901.

Application filed January 22, 1901. Serial No. 44,288. (No model.)

To all 1071,0771, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. CUNNINGHAM, a citizen of the United States,residing at South Bethlehem, in the county of Northam pton and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Match-Box and Cigar-Outter,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to match-safes and cigar-cutters; and it has forits object to provide a mechanism including both a matchsafe andcigar-cutter wherein a single operation will out a cigar and present amatch, although, as will be understood, the actual cutting of a cigar isnot essential to the opera tion of the device.

-A further object of the invention is to provide a compact arrangementof the parts and such specific construction of the elements as will givea most efficient operation.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in whichlike numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views,Figure l is a perspective view showing the complete mechanism. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal vertical section of the device. Fig. 3 is a transversevertical section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. iis a top plan view of theoperating-lever.

Referring now to the drawings, the present device includes a casing 5,which is divided by a transverse partition 6 into two compartments 7 and8, of which the former is the re" ceptacle for the unused matches, whilethe latter is provided with a drawer 9 to receive burned matches andcigar ends, said drawer being held in its closed position by means of alug 10 upon the outwardly-projecting base of the casing and behind whichthe drawer is adapted to lie. The compartment 7 has a removable closureat one end in the form of a door 11, the lower edge of which engages arecess in the base of the casing, and which door has an opening in itsupper portion through which is received a tongue 12 upon a plate 13,which projects from the partition 6 part way over the compartment 7. Thetongue has an opening in its end portion to receive a latch-pin 14. Avertical supportingplate 15 extends longitudinally of the casing fromone end of the compartment 8 to the other and above the drawer 9, whichlatter passes beneath the plate, and this supportwhich is pivoted to thesupporting-plate, ad-

jacent to the rear edge thereof, and projects forwardly beyond thesupporting-plate and beyond the front end of the casing 5. The lever 18also carries a guard-plate 19, having a depending flange 20, which isspaced from the outer side of the lever, and when said lever is operatedto pass the knife across the perforations in the cutting-plate to cutthe end from a cigar this flange is in position to deflect the cut-offend downwardly and into the drawer. To prevent lateral displacement ofthe lever, a guide-plate 21 is provided and has its ends attached to thesupporting-plate to hold the lever between it and the supporting-plate,while permitting oscillation of the lever. The lever is held yieldalolyin raised position by means of a helical spring mounted upon and havingone end attached to the pivot-pin 23 upon the supporting-plate and onwhich the lever is pivoted, this spring 22 having its opposite endattached to the lover.

The matches in the match-compartment lie upon a movable supportconsisting of a series of hinged sections 2 1, of which one end sectionis pivoted to the front of the matchncompartment, while the opposite endsection has a shift rod 25 attached thereto and extending upwardlythrough an opening in plate 13. This rod extends also through aperforation in a lug 26 on the operating-lever and has a turned-overupper end, so that when the lever is raised it will strike thisturned-over portion and will raise the match-support. The lever israised suddenly by the spring 22 when released, so that it strikes theturnedover portion with a velocity sufficient to move it snddenly andshake the matches to cause them to lie snugly side by side and properlyment. The lever and finger 18 thus form a match-removing device. Thelower end or tip of the finger is curved slightly forward, as shown, andcooperating therewith is a plate 33, having side flanges 34E at itsupper portion and between which the finger is received. A pivot-pin 35is passed through these side flanges and the finger on which the platemoves, and the lower end of the plate is held yieldably in closerelation to the tip of the finger by means of a helical spring 36,seated in a recess in the finger and bearing against the plate 33, abovethe pivot thereof. WVhen the lever is moved downwardly, this finger iscarried into the match-compartment and into engagement with a match,which latter is forced between the finger-tip and the plate 33, the tippassing under the match, so that when the lever moves upwardly andraises the finger the match will be Withdrawn from the match-compartmentand may be then re moved from the finger.

Two cigar-rests and 41 are provided, one carried by the drawer, in theouter rear corner thereof, and the other standing in the correspondingopposite corner of the casing. Each of these rests consists of a wire,which is first bent into U shape, after which the upper portion is bentlaterally, as shown at 42, and curved to receive the cigar, the curvedportions lying with their chords horizontal and parallel.

To provide for striking matches, a corrugated or otherwise-roughenedplate 40 is attached to the beveled face of the base of the apparatusand may be held in place in any desired manner.

It will be understood that in practice various modifications of thespecific construction shown may be made and that any suitable materialsand proportions may be used for the Various parts without departing fromthe spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is- 1. A device of the class described comprising amatch-receptacle having a movable bottom comprising hinged plates, theplate at one end of the series being hinged to the side of thereceptacle and the plate at the other end of the series having ashifting rod attached thereto, a pivoted lever with which the rod isslidably engaged, said rod having a stop for engagement by the lever tomovethe rod and shake the movable bottom when the lever is raised, and amatch-engagingdevice carried by the lever for movement into and out ofthe match-receptacle as the lever is lowered and raised.

2. A device of the class described comprising a fixed match-compartmenthaving a movable bottom to support the matches, a matchremoving devicefor engaging and removing the matches from the support, and connectionsbetween the removing device and the movable bottom for operating thelatter to shake and arrange the matches when the former is operated.

3. A device of the class described comprising a match-compartment havinga movable bottom including hinged sections adapted to receive andsupport the matches, a matchremoving device adapted for movement intoand out of the compartment to engage and remove the matches, and meansoperably connected with the removing device for movement therewith tomove the hinged sections to arrange the matches thereon.

4. A device of the class described, having a sectional movablematch-support, a pivotal lever, a match-engaging finger carried by thelever and constructed to pick up a match from the support, and means foragitating or shaking the support to rearrange or bunch the matchesthereon by the return movement of the lever.

5. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle, acutting-plate disposed above the receptacle and having openings thereinhaving cutting edges, a lever pivoted to the plate and having a knifefor cooperation with the cutting edges of the openings, and adeflecting-plate upon the lever at the opposite side thereof from theknife to deflect cigar ends into the receptacle.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN A. CUNNINGHAM.

Witnesses:

JAMES QUIGNEY, WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM.

